A day at the Bay Area Maker Faire, the greatest show-and-tell on Earth

After three days of sessions at Google I/O in San Francisco, I headed south to San Mateo to catch an even larger meeting of creative minds: the Bay Area Maker Faire. Hardware hackers, inventors, open-source enthusiasts, and creators of all manner of DIY hardware and software were on hand, and there was a line of people waiting to see them that wrapped around the San Mateo County Events Center's parking lot well before the gates opened at 10am on a Saturday morning.

With only a few hours to hit the highlights before my flight, I took an express tour of Maker Faire to find products and projects that represent the collision of DIY and IT best. Aside from Arduino's big presence on the exhibition floor, the biggest growth industry on hand was the group of computer-driven manufacturing tools makers, who are bringing computer-aided design into the real world. Based on some of the projects I saw, DIY computing projects are going to even greater heights—and into orbit.

Sean Gallagher

A pair of remote-controlled full-size R2-D2 bots patrol the grounds of the Maker Faire at the San Mateo County Events Center just before it opens to the masses.

Sean Gallagher

A pair of remote-controlled full-size R2-D2 bots patrol the grounds of the Maker Faire at the San Mateo County Events Center just before it opens to the masses.

Sean Gallagher

The hands-on activities at Maker Faire required a signed safety waiver before warranties could be voided.

Sean Gallagher

Arduino and Dog Hunt introduced the Arduino Yún (Chinese for "cloud"), a network-connected system that combines the Arduino with Linino, a MIPS-based Linux platform. The boards will ship in June and are priced at $69.

Sean Gallagher

Tesla coils tuned as a musical instrument play "Flight of the Bumblebee," while a young volunteer stands protected in a Faraday cage onstage in Maker Faire's performance pavillion.

Sean Gallagher

An Android phone's gyro helps this box-bot balance itself on its wheels thanks to the IOIO—an input-output board designed by Ytai Ben-Tsvi that has software libraries for motor controllers.

Sean Gallagher

This project (using an Amtel controller) is a lamp that, when touched, illuminates and plays the "power up" sound from Nintendo's Super Mario.

Sean Gallagher

The new Arduino Robot, a robotics kit based on Arduino microcontrollers with connectors for multiple sensors. Arduino had a big presence at Maker Faire.

Sean Gallagher

The Arduino Robot kit includes a small touchscreen display for interactive control.

Sean Gallagher

Also just released by Arduino, this new project starter kit includes everything needed to get going on microcontroller-driven "making"—incuding a how-to book filled with projects.

Sean Gallagher

ShopBot Tools of Durham, North Carolina is working with 100kschools to get its ShopBot computer numerically controlled (CNC) routers into schools for STEM and vocational education programs.

An artist constructed these onion-shaped sculptures using a ShopBot CNC router.

Shopbot Tools' Handibot, introduced at Maker Faire, is a low-cost computer numerical control (CNC) router—for wood, not networks. Initially priced at $2,500 and based on open-source software and hardware, the Handibot performs precision cutting, carving and drilling of wood and other materials and can be used on-site with even large pieces of lumber.

OtherFab showed off its next project, OtherCutter—an Exacto-knife based milling machine for creating cutouts from cardboard, paper, balsa wood, and other softer materials. Based on Synthetos' TinyG motion-control system, the OtherCutter is targeted at home makers and schools where the cost and safety issues surrounding CNC manufacturing rule out using mills or routers.

Sean Gallagher

OtherFab also had its OtherMill on display—a Kickstarter-funded computer-driven mill for creating electrical, electronic ,and mechanical prototypes. It can cut aluminum, wood, wax, and plastic, and it can be used to custom-cut circuit boards.

Sean Gallagher

KickSat, a crowdfunded DIY satellite initiative, is planning to launch hundreds of these "chipsats" based on technology developed at Cornell University and open-source software. Schools and other institutions will be able to develop code for their own micro-satellites and get data from them directly via software-defined radio links. The satellites will be deployed from the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon rocket, hitching a ride on an upcoming International Space Station resupply mission, and orbit for two to six weeks before burning up in the atmosphere.

Nanosatisfi is putting slightly larger micro-satellites into orbit. These ArduSats, based on Arduino microcontrollers, will allow individuals, organizations, and schools to buy a time-share of a mission to run experiments (ranging from three days to two weeks). The company also sells ArduSat kits to allow the development and testing of experiments on the ground before they're loaded in orbit. Like KickSat, ArduSats will catch a ride on ISS resupply missions. But the ArduSats are gyro-stabilized and have high-resolution cameras as well as other sensors.

Sean Gallagher

Sean Hathaway took a collection of surplus Tedy Ruxpin animatronic teddy bears from the 1980s and repurposed them with Arduinos as part of an art installation called T, E. D. (Transformations, Emotional Deconstruction). Originally deployed as a wall of 80 bears, the installation animated the bears to speak with synthesized voices, reading anonymous "emotional blog posts" aggregated by wefeelfine.com. Hathaway was giving away surplus hacked Teddy Ruxpins; stay tuned to learn how Ars uses ours.

Sean Gallagher

Not Impossible Labs, a community of hardware hackers, launched a project to create a device that would allow Tempt One—a Los Angeles graffiti artist paralyzed by ALS—to continue to create. The EyeWriter tracked his eye movements and allowed him to create laser-projected works onto walls. Now, they're looking for help with BrainWriter—a follow-up that allows him to create works using only his thoughts, via an EEG headset.

Eh, I've been rather disappointed with the maker faire for a while. The problem is that it used to be pretty much a fair soley for DIY people, and you'd see tons of crazy cool projects by normal people. Now it seems like half the booth space is taken up by companies like Oracle. What in the world does Oracle need with a booth there anyways, much less one of the biggest booths around? I sort of feel that large corporate booths like that are pulling the focus of the maker faire away from the makers themselves, the people who just do a sort of cool DIY project in their garage and want to show it off.

Yeah, I went on Sunday—which always used to be a little sleepier, as many exhibitors started packing up early—and it was insanely, unpleasantly crowded. The main exhibit hall was just about impassible. There's also a lot more of it, both the corporate stuff (there was an esurance booth that was one not crowded place) and the random makers, clubs, startups, and hackerspaces. Which is great! But cramming it all into the same area, over two days, you can't leisurely stroll around anymore and chitchat with people about their robot or their crazy green energy scheme. I'm not sure what the answer to this is, but if next year looks like it's going to be as much of a mess, I'll probably skip it.

I sort of feel that large corporate booths like that are pulling the focus of the maker faire away from the makers themselves, the people who just do a sort of cool DIY project in their garage and want to show it off.

Yeah, I went on Sunday—which always used to be a little sleepier, as many exhibitors started packing up early—and it was insanely, unpleasantly crowded. The main exhibit hall was just about impassible. There's also a lot more of it, both the corporate stuff (there was an esurance booth that was one not crowded place) and the random makers, clubs, startups, and hackerspaces. Which is great! But cramming it all into the same area, over two days, you can't leisurely stroll around anymore and chitchat with people about their robot or their crazy green energy scheme. I'm not sure what the answer to this is, but if next year looks like it's going to be as much of a mess, I'll probably skip it.

++

My wife felt the same way. We took our daughter the year before when she was three months old, our first big outing. The crowds were less and I had time to carry her around and stop to look at the booths. But this year, even when my wife took the baby, I couldn't even walk through the main exhibit halls. I was really bummed I couldn't see the Raspberry Pi stuff, one of the main reasons I wanted to go. Every table was few people deep where I couldn't even take a flyer walking by. Just way too many people and they IMHO over sold the tickets for the event size.

I think the fix would be to have smaller Marker Faires in the Bay Area or some how split this one up. The best way would be limiting the sale of tickets, we arrived on Saturday at 4pm, the place was still packed. Next year, I think I'll give late Sunday a better time to go.

I feel old. Not much makes me feel that way, but, somehow... It does not stop me from participating and "making" stuff; DIY is a big part of my life and perhaps why I feel it. But seeing this at 58 really makes me wish I was 15 again with all of this in front of me yet!

I feel old. Not much makes me feel that way, but, somehow... It does not stop me from participating and "making" stuff; DIY is a big part of my life and perhaps why I feel it. But seeing this at 58 really makes me wish I was 15 again with all of this in front of me yet!

I sort of feel that large corporate booths like that are pulling the focus of the maker faire away from the makers themselves, the people who just do a sort of cool DIY project in their garage and want to show it off.

I sort of feel that large corporate booths like that are pulling the focus of the maker faire away from the makers themselves, the people who just do a sort of cool DIY project in their garage and want to show it off.

I've been going the past three years but this year was insane amount of people. The parking lot was full before the event started.

I showed up at 8:30 since I had to drop Andrew Cunningham off at the airport, and had time to kill. By 9. the lot at the venue was full, and they were parking people offsite. By the time the gate opened, the line was at least a quarter-mile long.

I live around the corner from there and had completely forgotten about the event until I saw the huge crowds. Really wish I paid attention more because I've been intending to go. Oh well, guess I'll have to wait until next year.

I've been going the past three years but this year was insane amount of people. The parking lot was full before the event started.

I showed up at 8:30 since I had to drop Andrew Cunningham off at the airport, and had time to kill. By 9. the lot at the venue was full, and they were parking people offsite. By the time the gate opened, the line was at least a quarter-mile long.

Wow, didn't think it was that bad. We couldn't find parking and ended up having lunch at the near by mall, waiting until 4pm to drive back over. Monitoring the twitter feed found some complaints the shuttles wait line was over 700 people long.

Sweet! I just filled out their survey and emailed a couple of my nerdier friends about it. I still have fond memories of teaching myself basic analog electronics through their kits and manuals. A friend's dad built their 27" color TV kit back in the late 70s and I was in total awe of it, especially since he didn't bother with a cabinet (my friend's dad: "...do NOT stick your finger in there! That's the flyback transformer!")

I've been going the past three years but this year was insane amount of people. The parking lot was full before the event started.

I showed up at 8:30 since I had to drop Andrew Cunningham off at the airport, and had time to kill. By 9. the lot at the venue was full, and they were parking people offsite. By the time the gate opened, the line was at least a quarter-mile long.

Its crazy, I remember just going to the 2006 one without any real advance notice and getting in very quickly. Times have sure changed.

Sean Gallagher / Sean is Ars Technica's IT Editor. A former Navy officer, systems administrator, and network systems integrator with 20 years of IT journalism experience, he lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland.